As Cristiano Ronaldo wheeled away to celebrate a last-gasp equaliser, demoralised Atalanta players dropped to their knees and threw their hands in the air in disgust.
The Italians were not the first victims of ‘Mr Inevitable’ this season, nor will they be the last. It’s becoming an almost weekly occurrence for Ronaldo to drag his side through torrid performances, but he’s so far reserved his most crucial goals for the Champions League. Of the five goals he’s scored in the competition so far this term, two have been winners in the final moments of the match and the most recent was the equaliser in midweek
The goal was Ronaldo’s ninth in 11 matches since returning to Old Trafford. On the afternoon of the match in Bergamo, the Portugal captain was named United’s player of the month for the second time in a row. Not bad for a 36-year-old.
For all of United’s problems so far this season, Ronaldo is excelling in a fashion that he has normalised over the last 14 years of his career. But it should not be taken for granted how he’s adapted since his return to the Theatre of Dreams. There was no guarantee he would sustain those levels on his return to Premier League at the age of 36 and Lionel Messi’s struggles at Paris Saint-Germain only underline how things could have so easily been different.
Perhaps it’s because Ronaldo has normalised such extraordinary levels of performance that he’s taken such stinging – and at times bizarre – criticism this term, with critics desperate to capitalise on any chink in his armour. Ronaldo was bought to score goals and he’s fulfilling his part of the bargain.
Without him, United would likely be third in their Champions League group and even further down the Premier League table. Since the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, Ronaldo has been one of the rallying figures in the dressing room and there’s a sense he feels stung by some of the criticism he’s faced this season, particularly in regards to his work-rate. But the truth is that Ronaldo is the least of United’s problems and he’s become an easy scapegoat for the club’s poor campaign so far.
Solskjaer has, in fairness, taken his fair share of criticism so far this season but the spotlight on Ronaldo has been a convenient distraction for many members of the squad and overshadowed some of the easier-to-fix problems that the Norwegian has neglected this season.
Having conceded 15 times in ten matches in the Premier League already, it’s peculiar to think this is the same United side that kept 13 clean sheets last term. The blame for that should be shared between Solskjaer, for the changes in system he’s made, and the individual performances of the back four.